TNPL 2025 | Tamizhans find their mojo at the right time
One to savour: Tamizhans played like a champion outfit after the early stumble.
| Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN
In a long tournament, the oft-repeated mantra that teams like to stress is ‘peaking at the right time’.
Even if it is a tired cliche, there are enough examples to show that it merits consideration.
IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans’ triumph over Dindigul Dragons in the TNPL final on Sunday will go down as another successful entry in that list.
R. Sai Kishore’s men lost two of their first three games but then turned the season around and never looked back, winning the last six. In contrast, Chepauk Super Gillies won all seven league matches but faltered twice in the playoffs and failed to reach the summit clash.
For a team to succeed in the T20 format, contributions from the openers are vital, and this is an area where Tamizhans struck gold.
Tushar Raheja and Amit Sathvik complemented each other well. The left-right duo and their different scoring areas unsettled bowlers.
While Tushar, who topped the run charts, led the charge in the first half of the tournament, Amit repaid the faith shown by the management after scoring just 43 runs in his four games. In the remaining five outings, he slammed four half-centuries, including in Qualifier 1 and the title match.
One area where the team thoroughly excelled was its bowling attack, for which the work was done in the auction. While the skipper led the spin department, R. Silambarasan’s signing gave an experienced partner to bowl alongside T. Natarajan.
The find of the tournament, though, was young pacer A. Esakkimuthu. The 23-year-old bowled with a lot of heart in his maiden season and was instrumental in the triumph.
The way he knocked over some top batters with his sheer pace — he clocked above 140 kph — was a sight to behold. To finish as the second highest wicket-taker in the league (14 scalps) shows his potential. Now, the onus is on the Tamil Nadu cricket authorities to guide and develop the youngster.
Tournament awards: Orange Cap: Tushar Raheja (IDTT); Purple Cap: R. Sonu Yadav (NRK); Stylish Player: V.P. Amith Sathvik (IDTT); Most Dependable Player: R. Ashwin (DD); High Voltage Player: R. Rajkumar (TGC); Emerging bowler (Instituted by former TN Ranji cricketer M.K. Murugesh): A. Esakkimuthu (IDTT); Player of the Tournament: Tushar Raheja.
Published – July 07, 2025 08:37 pm IST
